While it doesn’t receive the level of attention that areas such as recruiting and player development do when discussing college basketball during the summer, the art of networking can be vital for those who are looking to improve their professional standing within the game.

That’s a relatively easy process for the coaches, as the three five-day evaluation periods give them a chance to not only observe players but also communicate with each other. While that could be simply a matter of catching up with old acquaintances, there’s also the ability to exchange ideas on a number of topics.

But what about those support staffers, the graduate assistants, directors of basketball operations and video staffers do since they aren’t allowed to hit the road (representing a school) during this period? That’s where Rising Coaches Elite comes into play.

To read through NBCSports.com’s series on July’s live recruiting period, click here.

And the fourth edition will also include a Rising Athletic Directors Conference, an opportunity that wasn’t available the first three years.

“After all of the Rising Coaches conferences we’d sit down and ask all the attendees during an open panel discussion what they wanted to see and what could be done better,” said Farrell in a phone interview with NBC Sports.

“A lot of people mentioned, ‘what if an athletic director came to speak with us about what they expect from our position?’ So once [the founders] broke it down some more, we thought that since we’re doing this for the young coaches what if we could reach young aspiring athletic directors too?”

Also instrumental in the process of adding a conference for those who aspire to ultimately become athletic directors was Ben Rosenfeld, who is currently the director of sport administration for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). This would ultimately lead to the formation of Rising Athletic Directors, and it can only help those involved on both sides of the process.

Aspiring coaches get to learn not only from those are coaching, but they also get to learn from athletic administrators while networking with the people who could very well determine whether or not they’re hired for a job down the line.

This year’s group will get to hear from head coaches such as Andy Enfield (USC), Kerry Keating (Santa Clara) and Pat Skerry (Towson) in addition to multiple assistants and college administrators. There’s also the ability to interact with other success stories, with Farrell being one of the many who have experienced success in their careers since participating in Rising Coaches Elite.

In addition to the current group of staffers throughout the country there are others, whether it’s your team managers or walk-ons who see little playing time, who hope to begin their coaching journey by landing a support staff position in the near future.

According to Farrell, there are a couple things an aspiring coach needs to do in order to successfully make the transition.

“First and foremost they need to let someone, a mentor, know that they’re looking,” said Farrell. “You’ve got to let your mentors know that you’re looking, because once they know then they can start using their experience, knowledge and network.

“The other thing I would suggest for them to do is work camps. Find any and every way to get to know the people you’re working the camps with and the program you’re working the camp for. Because while that may not get you a job right away, those are the connections and networking opportunities that will take you infinitely farther.”

Farrell also noted the need to continue to learn, whether it’s about the Xs and Os of the game or other areas that programs need to take care of in order to be successful. And given the number of participants who have gone on to enjoy success in their careers, it’s become evident that Rising Coaches Elite has been a positive factor in this regard.

N.C. State added a dynamic wing scorer late in their 2015 recruiting efforts on Sunday as reclassified 6-foot-7 wing Maverick Rowan committed to the Wolfpack. A three-level scorer, Rowan was previously committed to Pitt and later backed off of his pledge to the Panthers before deciding to move up a grade by taking two summer…